The top draft picks of this season in the NBA have fared pretty nicely as they have hardly taken any time to adapt to the alien situations and have shown tremendous self confidence in their abilities to take apart defenses. While the likes of Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. have earned plaudits from experts for their performances, Chet Holmgren is out for the season after suffering a serious injury. The fans expect big things from the big man aswell as they hope he returns stronger next season.
However Jabari Smith Jr. revealed how the Oklahoma City Thunder promised to pick him up before the draft day and then turned back on their words when they decided to pick up Chet Holmgren instead. The youngster shared that he was very nervous and seeing this unfold in front of him completely shook him to the core as he was about to break down in tears. But his father Jabari Smith Sr. helped him in that situation and motivated him as he was the third draft pick when he was picked by the Houston Rockets.
“So, they called Chet Holmgren’s name, and he lost it,” Jabari Smith Sr. shared.
“Leg went to shaking. I looked at him. He is almost in tears. And I forgot that he told me that OKC [promised to draft him], so I got to keep my mouth closed about that,” he revealed the emotions from the draft day.
“I talked to him, ‘Well, hey, what are you doing? Straighten your face, man. You good, you good, you good.’ You know the camera was right at the table,” Jabari Smith Sr. concluded.
The youngster soon cameback to his senses and decided to enjoy the moment of being the third overall pick. He was motivated by his father who spoke words of wisdom during a tight situation as he saw his son on the verge of breaking down on national television with the cameras and spotlight all on him.
The youngster reminiscent the support that he got in that moment as he was extremely hurt when OKC Thunder went back on their words and did not kept the promise that they had made to him. However he revealed how his father calmed him down and told him to enjoy the moment as it is something that not everyone gets to experience.
“People around me just reminded me, ‘You’re still the third pick in the draft,’” Smith Jr. said. “‘You’ve still accomplished something that a lot of people don’t accomplish, and that’s making it to the NBA.’ So, I had to put that behind me, just enjoy the moment, and live in the moment,” said the Houston Rockets big man.
Since then Jabari Smith Jr. has been sensational for the Rockets as the young big fan has quickly become the fan favourite in Houston. So far, he’s averaging 11.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in 54 games. He is someone who will only improve in coming years as the Rockets management will hope to build a team around him for the future.
People were very critical of Jabari Smith Jr. joining the Rockets as they already had Alperen Sengun as their designated big man. But their difference in gameplay brought a new dimension to the team which already had a dynamic player in Jalen Green. Smith is always looking to go an extra yard in order to put an impact on the game and in the long run that attitude differs the good from the best.
While the Rockets are right at the bottom of the Western Conference, their fans will hope the arrival of these young players will help them turn it around in the coming years.
